Florida ranks in middle of the road

December 18, 2009|By Steven Cole Smith, Sentinel columnist

Motorist's mecca, or driver's hell? That's the question answered by a story in the January Automobile magazine, which rates all 50 states on driver-friendliness. The magazine used three categories: "Cost," which includes gas tax, driver's license fee, toll roads and registration fees; "Harassment," which includes speed limits, the number of police per mile of road (the fewer the better, the magazine says) and whether there are speed or red-light cameras, and "Aggravation," which includes road conditions, traffic, how often you must renew your driver's license and whether inspections are required. Florida ranked right in the middle -- tied with Michigan for 25th. The best state for drivers is Wyoming, the magazine said, and the worst -- where else: California.